Sakura the Mermaid Princess
Chapter 11:
Since she left the ocean to wins the prince's heart for her own, Sakura had always thought greatly about the love ones she left behind. Especially, her mother Queen Nadeshiko, her father King Fujitaka, her brother Prince Touya and lastly the most dearest and precious friend she ever had, Princess Tomoyo.
"Do you know her, Miss Sakura?" asked Syaoran while Tomoyo smiled but said nothing.
A big gasp escaped Sakura's lips, her hands trembling and her eyes shimmering.
Sakura couldn't bare to see her friend Tomoyo in the same room, in flesh and blood. She was afraid that once she embrace her friend in her arms, she will disappear, causing her heart to ache even more.
However, that was not the case. Tomoyo was in front of her as she enter the bedroom with her usual cheerful smile just like before. Like something that never changes, expect that now there were human.
"Tomoyo..." Sakura whispered quietly as she stood stunned.
Tomoyo nob with her usual bright smile and her pure amethyst eyes.
Sakura left Syaoran's side and plodded towards Tomoyo with a determination. She was ready to take of what she thought of her coming to the surface. She will prepare for the scolding she will get but instead to her surprise, Tomoyo pulled Sakura into her embrace and cried softly.
Sakura was stunned. Tomoyo was not the type of person to cry, she was always been brave and ready to face danger. However, Sakura could sense something comely odd about Tomoyo's body.
The mermaid princess look at Tomoyo once again to see her completely. Her once beautiful complexion, now deadly pale and her amethyst shone with saddens and despair. She touched her friend's hand and gasp escape her lips as she stare at Tomoyo. Finally, understanding what she had lost.
Sakura turned towards Syaoran, to see if he was watching everything that was happening to her, only to find him gone.
"I'm so sorry Tomoyo." replied Sakura softly as she hugged her in return.
After a few moments, the two girls found themselves sitting on Tomoyo's bed waiting for the other to break the silence.
Finally, Sakura decided to break the silence by asking a question that she had been dreaded to know every since she left home.
"Tomoyo, tell me what happening back home?"
Tomoyo had kept her amethyst eyes on her clapped hands while they lay on her lap. She stare at them as if she was deeply thinking about something. Something important.
Suddenly, she felt Sakura's warm hand touching hers as she look up to meet her in the eye.
"Odd disturbance started to happen the moment you left. Queen Nadeshiko is trying her best to discover the reason but so far no luck."
"Has this happened before?"
"Yes but only once. According to my mother, a long time ago there was a mystical mermaid who turned into a witch, used to watch all over the entire ocean. She was to say to have the most powerful magical powers throughout the whole seven seas. She said that she can grant anyone deepest desire as long it comes from a pure hearted person and has at least a bit of magic powers inside them.
"Can grant anyone deepest desire?" asked Sakura confusingly. "You mean like Meilin?"
"I don't know that but it most likely. Nobody has seen her like over a century ever since she used her powers to grant her own wish."
"And you think it has to do with this situation?" Sakura exclaimed.
"I'm sure about it. It was because of her, destruction came and almost destroy the whole sea. However, she sacrifice something important in order to prevent further damage. "
"And you don't know what it was? Otherwise, my mother and everyone else would have done something about it."
"Nobody know but one thing for sure when a mermaid failed to fulfill her wish nor pays the price, horrible consequence happened."
Silence hit the room once again as Tomoyo look at Sakura, bearing to tell her the whole story, the real reason why she was sent up to the surface. But she knew, that it distract Sakura from her mission.
"Sakura, I'm so glad you're alright. Everyone has been looking for you all over the kingdom for the pass two days straight." Then Tomoyo's expression changed and began scolding her. "What do you think your doing at the surface especially in human leg?"
"To fulfill my wish..."
Minutes Later:
"I see.." said Tomoyo as she look at Sakura who was facing the floor on the entire conversation. "Sakura, I'm so sorry. I...had no idea and here you let me yell at you like that."
Sakura as look up at her, placing her hand on Tomoyo's shoulder and smiled "It's okay, I know you didn't mean it." she said, ensuring her. "Tell me, how did you mange to find me here?"
"After you left the ball in such a fuss, I decided to go and comfort you. Since the garden is the only place in the palace you would go, I decided to go to your favorite spot. When I got there, I saw you talking to yourself and suddenly you went off swimming in a sort of daze. I tried to call out to you, but you didn't hear me, so I went after you. I swam as fast as I could to catch up to you but by the time I was finally close to you, you disappeared and I lost track of you."
Sakura was shocked but let Tomoyo to continue talking.
"I went back to the palace and inform your mother that you were missing. It's was already late and the ball was over, I was about to go home when I saw a sprinkling light coming from the garden. When I got there, I saw you laying in the garden, pass out with your hair cut off."
"My mother?" she said, trying to understand all that she was saying.
"Yes, she is really worry about you. She was able to use her pearl to track you down and was able to convince Meilin to give me a pair of human legs."
Suddenly Tomoyo grab Sakura's hand, looking very serious. "Tell me Sakura." she said. "How long are you planing on staying here, on the surface?"
Sakura look in the distant as she remember what the mermaid had told her before she left her place.
"Even though I had given you this magical potion, the effect of it aren't strong enough to change you into a human permanently."
"Once you are in the surface, things will get more complicated. Your tail will disappear, and shrink up into what mankind calls legs. However, the change will be very painful. The moment you move your pretty little feet into the sand, you will feel incredible pain that it will cause you to faint.
"Your legs will feel weak and uncontrollable like a new born infant. Everyone who see you will say that you are the most beautiful human being they have ever seen. You will still have the same floating gracefulness of movement. If you are willing to bear all this pain, I will help you."
"Yes, I willing." said Sakura in a trembling voice, as she thought of the prince.
Suddenly a beautiful sprinkling bright light started to surround the mermaid princess as she look afraid, looking at the beautiful small bottle that was filled with the clear pink liquid.
Meilin appeared before the mermaid princess again and said,
"The amount of time that you are allowed to stay on the surface is a year from now, on the day of your Seventeen birthday. Once there, you will be sent back into the sea to Kinomoto country. If you failed to win the prince's love by then, the first morning after he marries another your heart will break, and you will become foam on the crest of the waves."
"I understand." she replied quietly, finally been confident on herself. "I understand, everything.
"Sakura..."
"Tomoyo, Is everyone alright?" she asked desperately, feeling a ping in her heart. She needed to know what pain that she caused everyone.
"Everyone is doing fine in this moment but I can't say that they are happy what you have done."
Sakura stood silent for a second.
"Your mother is the only one who knows where you are. Also, she knows that you sold your ability to confess your love to Meilin for a pair of human legs in order to get out of your engagement with prince Daisuke."
"Does Prince Daisuke know all about this?" she exclaimed out of the blue.
"No, but he will find out eventually, and who knows what would happen, you have to do something if you want to stay here."
Sakura couldn't say a word, she just stayed there, thinking what to do.
"Sakura, I'm not going to ask you to leave the chance you have to find true happiness." Tomoyo said. "I can only hope that you will be happy. I just hope that you can win Prince Syaoran's heart so that your heart won't break or turn into sea foam."
Sakura nodded sadly. "I know, that why I'm determine to win before that happens."